Creating Time

 

When i first started out as a SAHM, i was upset when someone would hint or mention in passing about how much time i have on my hands. I mean, look at me, i get to stay in my PJs and unbrushed hair all day, roll out of bed at 10am and still be in time for breakfast, take naps and watch telly all day long. I thought no one understood that i could barely find time for changing and eating proper meals with two hands, and that feeding a baby 2-3 hours daily meant that i had to sit down and veg in front of the telly, even if i very much wanted to do something else.

But i'm glad to say that over the years, i've gotten alittle more balanced, or blinded by choice, or whatever. Everyone, working or not, have their own difficulties. Sleep has become an elusive concept, so let's all be kinder to one another.

Moving on, let's talk about one of my greatest unsolved mystery - finding time to do something non baby or household related. Like using the computer or getting my nails done or preparing materials to teach the babies. I marvel at how mummies (and yikes, some of them are my friends! So it's true, these people do exist) manage to set up a blog shop, blog frequently, sew (uh huh, that's you!) and play online games while i barely find time to surf the net (no count if it's on my phone).

I thought about it, grumbled to the hubs, sat on it.. and finally after being brutally honest to myself, i settled for a few factors why we find it so so hard to find time. One of them would be my perfectionist streak. I enjoy researching and preparing materials for the babies to learn at home. If i have a perfect lesson set up, with a lesson plan and laminated materials no less, i wake up excited, ready to conquer the world with Mama school. On the flip side, if i cannot find the time to do what i want to do, i.e., planning, printing, laminating.. i find myself stuck and eventually giving it all up. Crazy, i know.

We decided that this perfectionist streak must go, and that i need to work with what i already have. It was tough at first, almost like abandoning my principles, ideals and standards, but eventually it proved to be advantageous on many levels.

The first lesson proceeded with on-the-spot writing and drawings. I thought the children would lose patience and walk away to some toys or kick up a fuss. But i was pleasantly surprised to see that they actually participated and waited till i finished writing and drawing. There was once i had to google to find out how a cartoon dog looked like and Shanah was so entertained by that idea. It dawned upon me then that i was demonstrating to her how to search for answers. By doing things on the spot, the children get to see me pick up a marker, write and learn how things get done (e.g., googling, tearing of paper, etc). They learn by modeling and observing.

Eventually, they did lose patience, but for reasons far from what i feared - they couldn't wait to get their hands on the markers and draw on the paper. And because my materials were far from perfect, i kept the couple of nice ones to display, and threw the rest away. Easy peasy clean up equals plenty of time for free drawing and writing! 

Well, i still love a well planned and thought out lesson with laminated materials and brightly printed illustrations. But i'm learning to let it go till i find the time to do so, and embrace the beauty of working with what i have on hand. Perhaps we can call that creating time?

When attention span runs out, have a child friend tweezer and some pompoms at hand to practise fine motor skills. And when the interest for that runs out, they will start throwing the pompoms all over the house. Have fun picking them up and searching for them under the sofa!

Materials featured: 

Pip squeak markers from Crayola (Non-toxic and water soluble, comes off clothes and floor easily. Stains on fingers may linger for a day or so) 

Large paper roll from Ikea

Tweezers from Learning Resource 

Large pompoms from Daiso (Small ones are choking hazards! Even the large ones are, so do watch your child)

Colourful bowls from Ikea (Comes in packs of 5, in different colours. Good for sorting activities too)